Ikea Appoints Richard Castanon Manager of Future Charlotte Store

September 23, 2008  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on September 2008 Ikea, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, has named Richard Castanon store manager for the 356,000-square-foot store it’s scheduled to open next spring in Charlotte, N.C.

“We are very excited about opening a store in the Charlotte area, where there are many Ikea customers as well as others who may not know us yet but are anxious for us to open,” said Ikea North America President Pernille Lopez. “Richard’s retail experience, and expertise launching new stores, has prepared him for managing this store in Charlotte.”

Castanon, who relocated to the Charlotte-area from California, started at Ikea in Burbank, Calif., in 1991 as a furniture showroom manager after previously serving as store manager at a local Los Angeles-area furniture store. Then, in 1996, he managed an external service provider that specialized in assembly and installation of Ikea products for Ikea customers. Castanon returned to Ikea in 2002 as the build-up project leader responsible for the multi-million-dollar outfitting and launching of new Ikea stores in: East Palo Alto, Calif.; Tempe, Ariz.; Frisco, Texas; West Sacramento, Calif.; Draper, Utah; and most recently Brooklyn, N.Y., this past June.

There currently are more than 280 Ikea stores in 36 countries, including 35 in the United States, where other new stores are being planned in Centennial, Col.; Somerville, Md.; and Tampa, Fla.